Friday, February 4, 2011

Every woman loves a great cute bag. What truly can make a bag special is not only it's style but it's story. Wondering what I mean? I mean having a bag that is made from repurposed materials or from sustainably grown materials is way cooler than just having a regular ole handbag. The problem is finding these cool, eco-friendly bag options as they seem to be scattered here and there. Well not anymore. BagInspiration is your one stop shop for all kinds of eco-friendly bags: handbags, evenings purses, produce bags and more!

Co-founders Michelle and Stefanie are moms and good friends living in Wisconsin. On a trip to Mexico in 2010, they stumbled upon a bag made of recycled candy wrappers. From there they began to seek out bags made from other recycled materials. What they found were not only bags made from candy wrappers, but bags made from recycled tires, recycled seat belts, and on. So they brought all these bags together and formed BagInspiration.

BagInspiration has a pretty wide and fun selection of bags. I have fallen in love with these bags from Rebagz that are all made from recycled rice sacks. Who knew that rice sacks had such pretty images on them?!

Rebagz Small Cinchy Tote

$29.00

Rebags Mini Messenger Bag

$29.00

Rebagz Sport Pouch
$24.00

At first glance I know the Sport Pouch looks small but once you take a look at this quick video below, you can see just how functional it is. All the zippered pockets are perfect for a mom on the go. I can't tell you how many times I just throw my wallet into my diaper bag and then it sinks to the bottom which leaves me fishing around for it at the grocery store counter. When I have a baby in tow the last thing I want is a big purse so the Sport Pouch would be great to just throw on and head out. I definitely think I need one of these.

In addition to fashionable bags and purses, BagInspiration also carries reusable shopping bags, produce bags and sandwich bags. While I think most of us know the importance of skipping the plastic bags when shopping and carrying our own, I think the produce bag is often overlooked. If you are eating healthy and buying lots of fresh fruits and veggies for your family, you absolutely need reusable produce bags to carry with you.

BagInspiration sent me a LunchSkins sandwich bag and snack bag to review. You know you are a green mom when something like a sandwich bag gets you so super excited! Seriously, I couldn't wait for these to arrive at my door. I have 3 boys in public school for half days right now: my oldest is in kindergarten and my twins are in preschool. I am very committed to sending waste-free snacks to school and eventually waste-free lunches next year and beyond. They even get a cloth napkin packed with their snacks. So a sandwich bag is the perfect addition for me.

LunchSkins are made from certified food-safe, quick-drying, lightweight cotton fabric and are lead-free, bpa-free and phthalate-free. These can also be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher but I have not tried that since my dishwasher is dying and things often come out dirty. For now I have been had washing them and letting them air dry and that has been working great. There are 2 sizes available, sandwich and snack, and a variety of fun colors and patterns to choose from. Both are a really good size and I think I probably could fit 2 sandwiches in there. I'm wondering if my sandwiches are too small. And yes, its in the shape of a butterfly. Other days you may see Star Wars shaped sandwiches in my house too.

For those who live in the Madison, Wisconsin area, BagInspiration also offers purse parties! They will donate 15% of your sales to the non-profit of YOUR choice. So you can help give back while having fun shopping for a fun bag for yourself.

ShopBagInspiration has a variety of bags to choose from made from recycled or sustainable materials. From wristlets to handbags and more!

Giveaway
Two (2) winners will receive a $20.00 gift certificate each to BagInspiration.

Extra Entries
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This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, February 18 at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be posted on the Winner's Announcement Page. Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. Please leave your e-mail address in all of your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please note that the opinions and views expressed here are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. BagInspirations provided me with a product for review and is providing the prize for this giveaway.

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